Paopu Academy (Discontinued and Rewritten)
by PaopuAcademy
Summary: Ten years after the defeat of Xehanort, the Keyblade Masters begin training their own apprentices. But when more and more Keyblade wielders appear, it becomes too much for each Master to train one on one. Thus, Paopu Academy is born, where Keyblade Wielders become Masters. But is the rising number of Wielders a sign of danger just over the horizon? SYOC! OC SUBMISSION CLOSED!
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Hey guys! This is a SYOC! The form is on my profile. Please submit one! I need lots of characters for this, and I'd greatly appreciate it!

Alright, this chapter takes place two years before the main story, making Sora 25. Which means this chapter is eight years after the defeat of Xehanort. Nothing else to say!

…

Prologue

Sora ran fast through the streets of Radiant Garden, his hair bouncing with each hurried step. Any time the shadows surged towards him, he swung Kingdom Key into them, beating them back, or into oblivion. He could hear Riku and Kairi's footsteps not too far behind, but he didn't wait for them to catch up.

Fear gripped the brunet's heart. Leon's SOS had sounded serious.

Sora, followed by Riku and Kairi, left the town, entering the path that lead to the Great Maw. The Heartless here grew larger, more frenzied, slowing Sora down slightly.

"Get out of my way!" he yelled, swing his Keyblade angrily. The Heartless fell before it, and Sora was finally able to get to the Great Maw.

"Oh god…" Riku gasped as he and Kairi finally caught up with Sora. Swarming before them was hundreds… no. _Thousands_ of Heartless. These Heartless were huge, much bigger than any of the trio had faced in any kind of group.

"Sora…?" Kairi asked weakly, fear in her voice. Sora took a deep breath, before his face became determined.

"Come on. We have to stop them before they cause too much damage!" he said, diving forward, Riku and Kairi just behind him.

Riku and Sora fought in perfect harmony, their Keyblades rising and falling in union, their backs pressed together. It was like they were reading each other minds as they fought, instincts honed over the many years of fighting side by side.

Meanwhile, Kairi supported them, casting healing and protection spells on the men, making sure they stayed healthy enough to keep moving. The Heartless targeted her a few times, only to get hit by a few good timed spells from Sora himself.

But their combined efforts weren't enough. None of them said it, but they knew exhaustion would overcome them before they would overcome the Heartless on their own.

…

Aqua, Ventus, and Terra rushed through the streets of Radiant Garden, heading towards the Great Maw. Each were thinking about the SOS they had received.

"Maybe we should have bought them. The message said _all_ available Keyblade wielders," Ven panted. Aqua pursed her lips and shook her head.

"No. They're not ready," she said. Ven glanced over his shoulder and grinned at her.

"Didn't you think the same about me?" he asked.

"That was different! You're—" Aqua began, only for both of them to run into Terra, who had froze just inside the entrance to the Great Maw.

"Guys…" he muttered, sounding horrified. Aqua and Ven looked around him, and their hearts crawled into their throats.

"Maybe… you were right…" Aqua muttered. Ven summoned his Keyblade.

"No time for that now," he said, diving into the surging mass of Heartless. Aqua and Terra looked at each other, before both summoning their Keyblades and diving after him.

Ven darted in between Heartless, his Keyblade flashing as he struck quickly at each one. Meanwhile, Terra's long, sweeping blows took at waves at a time, and Aqua's magic infused attacks took out huge groups.

They knew it was going to be a long battle.

…

Roxas, Xion, and Lea ran towards the growing Heartless battle.

"I'm just saying, I don't think it was a good idea to leave them there," Lea said.

"It's not like they're going to blow up the town," Roxas replied. Lea snorted.

"You so sure about that?" he asked. Roxas rolled his eyes, though for a moment, horror flashed across his face. "No, what I'm saying is that they're going to _follow us_. You know they will."

"I doubt it. How would they?" Xion asked.

"Seriously, you two. Have you even _met_ the- whoa…" the trio slowed down as they saw the Heartless. Lea and Roxas looked at each other.

"We should have brought them," the said in unison, before diving in.

"I dunno, I'm kinda glad we didn't…" Xion muttered, following after them.

Using both Oblivion and Oathkeeper, Roxas cleared a path through the dark beings, making quick work of the ones in front of him. Lea darted out in random directions, using a combination of both his own Keyblade and fire magic to obliterate them, while Xion protected Roxas from air strikes, throwing her version of Kingdom Key into the air where it would slam into the Heartless up there.

At one point, Xion jumped into the air to catch her Keyblade, and spotted the two other groups. She dropped down next to Roxas again.

"Sora's here," she panted.

"Good," Roxas grunted, blocking an attack with Oblivion.

"So is Ven's group."

"Great. We need all the help we can—ARGH!" Roxas dropped back a few steps as one of the Heartless managed to get under his guard and claw his stomach. Xion destroyed it, before turning back to Roxas.

"CURA!" she cried, and green light flowed over the young man.

"Thanks," Roxas panted, before he caught his breath and dove forward again.

…

The most unlikely trio ran through the streets of Radiant Garden. The one in front was a young woman, about eighteen, dressed all in black. Her outfit had glowing blue stripes throughout, and her short black hair fell in her face.

Just behind her was a boy, about thirteen, dressed in black and green, with his hood up. On top of the hood was a pair of black cat ears, and a fake cat tail was attached to his pants. A messy tuft of pale blond hair stuck out from under his hood, falling into his eyes.

Bringing up the rear was another young woman, about eighteen, dressed in a long Chinese red and gold silk robe, her sash trailing behind her, and her long black hair tied up into a loose bun, pinned back with a red and white lily flower hair comb. She bit her lip.

"Guys, I don't think…" her soft voice trailed off as both looked at her over their shoulders.

"I know that they said to stay home, but this will be AWESOME!" the boy cried excitedly, jumping into the air at the last word.

"It was illogical. The SOS said for everyone available. We were available," the woman in black and blue said reasonably.

"Yes, but…" the Chinese woman began again.

"Oh don't worry, Mei! We can make it into a game! Who can beat more!" the boy said, slowing slightly to run alongside her.

"This is not a game, Chuck," the woman in black and blue said.

"Aww… c'mon, Mora. You take the fun out of everything," Chuck said, pouting at her. The woman in black and blue, Mora, glanced back at him with a small smile, before turning into the entrance of the Great Maw. She slowed to a stop, letting the other two catch up.

"Oh my…" the Chinese woman, Mei, whimpered.

"I told you this WILL BE AWESOME!" Chuck yelled, summoning a Keyblade. It had a brown pentagon shaped handguard. The blade was made of silver wire in the shape of a wooden toy sword, and the teeth was made up of five gold doubloons of varying sizes. From the chain hung a small gold doubloon. Twirling the blade, called Hidden Treasure, he dove forward.

Mei watched after the boy, fear etched onto her face. Mora, on the other hand, pulled a black disk with blue light etched into it, her Identity Disk, off of her back, and summoned her own Keyblade.

Mora's Keyblade, like her outfit, was completely black with light blue lines etched into it. The handguard was a copy of her Identity Disk, and the blade was long and round. At the end, making up the teeth of the Keyblade, was another Identity Disk, with small rectangles made of blue light arching off. At the end of a glowing blue chain was the ISO symbol, a circle next to a sideways capital T.

"Mei," Mora said, gripping her weapons, her Identity Disk in her left hand, and her Keyblade, Dual Identity, in her right. "Start Summoning," she said, throwing the Disk forward and diving after it.

Mei took a deep breath and summoned her own Keyblade. The handguard was a delicate, red teardrop shape, and the blade was a thin green rod. The teeth of the key was a lily flower. The tips of the petals were white, and they slowly turned red as it moved towards the center of the flower. A long, delicate silver chain hung at the end, with the same lily hanging off of the end.

Gripping her Keyblade, Honorable Bloom, tightly in one hand, she reached into her robe and pulled out a charm. The charm was pink, with lighter pink bubbles throughout. She took a deep breath and held the charm out.

"Morph!" she cried, forcing her voice to be a little louder. The charm flashed, and a small creature made of pink goo and two large eyeballs flew from it with an excited trill. Mei held out her right hand, and the anamorphous goo landed in it. With a smile, she nuzzled him against her cheek, before letting the goo fly forward.

Morph turned into a small sword and began slicing through the Heartless, joining Chuck, who was darting around and striking the creatures from behind, and Mora, who was slashing quickly at them with both her Keyblade and Disk. Whenever one of her friends would take a hit, Mei cast Cure. As Morph reached the end of his time, he darted back to Mei, nuzzling against her cheek again.

"Thank you," she said to her friend as he faded away in a flash of light.

…

"Now that, is a battle." Standing on top of one of the cliff walls hemming the Maw in was another group of three. The man who spoke, a seventeen-year-old with figure of a champion body builder, stood with a grin, his gold hair flashing in the sun. Just behind him stood another man, the same height, but with a lithe dancer's figure.

"You and your battles," he said with a grin, shaking his head, his light purple ponytail following the movement.

The final member of the trio, a young woman of nineteen wearing a red fedora with a silver starfish pin attached to it over her white hair with purple tips, rolled her eyes at the two of them before eyeing the Heartless.

"Are we sure we're ready for this?" she asked.

"I was born ready, Kaya," the first man said with a grin, pulling a large, bronze shield off of his back and summoning his Keyblade.

The handguard was triangle in shape, and the blade was that of a gladiator's sword. Making up the teeth of the key was a curved boar's tusk, and hanging off the end of a thick chain was the Constellation symbol of the Greek God of War, Ares. The man's hand clenched excitedly around the grip of his Keyblade, called Boar's Tusk.

"Don't forget about us, Bion," the other man said, summoning his own Keyblade.

This one had a round handguard, with what looked like a microphone at the end, where the chain was usually attached. Instead, the chain, a silver string, was tied to the grip, with a single black music note hanging off. The blade was a silver rod. Twirling around the rod, starting from the handguard, were two black wires, which formed a music note at the point, making up the teeth of the Key. The man twirled the Keyblade, Silver Crescendo, in his hand so that he held it in reverse grip.

"Never, Jasper," Bion said with a grin, before looking over at Kaya. The woman sighed at their antics, but summoned her own Keyblade as well.

The handguard of Kaya's Keyblade resembled the crest of ocean waves. The blade also resembled a wave, blue, and spotted with small fish and starfish. The teeth of the blade was a closed, brown and gold treasure chest. Hanging from the chain was a tiny model of a three-mast galleon ship. She smiled slightly at the blade, called Mysteries of the Sea.

The three slid down the slope of the cliff, Bion in the front, slamming his Keyblade through the grounded Heartless, while Kaya used basic fire and blizzard spells against any flying Heartless who took interest in them.

As they slid, Jasper took a deep breath, bought the microphone part of his Keyblade up to his mouth, and sang, his deep voice resonating through the trio. His song was fast, designed to get the blood rolling: It was his Battle Cry. All three members of the group glowed slightly, and each felt their strength growing.

"It won't last long. Make it count," he told Kaya as they reached flat ground.

"Right," she said, diving forward. Jasper then turned to Bion and smirked.

"Cover me?" he asked.

"For you? Always," Bion said with a smirk, raising his shield in a protective stance, standing in front of the male Singer. Jasper smiled, a small blush racing across his pale cheeks.

"So not the time, guys!" Kaya yelled, having heard their exchange. Jasper blushed more, but took a deep breath.

"All eyes on me!" he yelled, before he began to dance. He twirled his Keyblade and spun, his hair and sash moving with each fast movement of his Fast Dance. Power filled his two team mates, and suddenly, Kaya was moving a lot faster as she dodged and struck at the Heartless, using a combination of melee and basic spells. Between her magically enhanced speed and her magically enhanced strength, the Heartless fell quickly before her. Meanwhile, Bion stayed in front of Jasper, protecting him from any Heartless that came near.

…

Yet another trio reached the Great Maw from the path leading from town. They could see the other teams fighting the overwhelming amount of Heartless. The tallest member, a young man of about sixteen, with light brown hair, stepped forward.

"Oh god," he breathed, his electric blue eyes huge. The shorter guy of the group, also sixteen, stepped forward with a grin, dropping his hand onto the taller man's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Collen. We can take them!" he said confidently, his purple eyes glowing with optimism. The taller one, Collen, turned and looked at him for a moment, before smirking and ruffling the boy's blue-black spiky hair.

"I know, Kai. It was just shock," he said.

"Well, we better hurry then," the last member, a very short, curvy sixteen-year-old girl, said, stepping forward, her long black hair swaying behind her. She turned and grinned at the other two, her teal eyes narrowing slightly in challenge. "After all, we didn't disobey just to come watch, right?"

"Of course not, Gina!" Kai exclaimed, before summoning his Keyblade.

The handguard, like Kaya's Mysteries of the Sea, was in the shape of a wave crest. The blade, however, was round and brown, resembling the trunk of a palm tree. At the tip, four palm-tree leaves arched off, forming the teeth of the key. Hanging from a piece of ship twin was a starfish. He twirled his blade, Tropical Breeze, and looked at the others.

Collen summoned his Keyblade. The handle was much longer than a standard Keyblade's, made to be a two-handed grip, with a thin, black hexagon shaped handguard. The silver-blue blade was also longer than a standard Keyblade's, and curved like a Katana's blade. Three crystals of various shades of light blue and light purple made up the teeth of the key, and a silver chain swung from the handguard, ending in a small crystal. Collen flipped his blade, Crystal Breaker, over his shoulder with a smirk. "I'm ready," he said.

Gina summoned her Keyblade too. Hers had a round, light blue handguard with a yellow and pink seashell placed as the cross piece. The blade was much shorter then even Kai's, with the base being a dark blue. The color slowly faded to light blue, to white at the point. At the point, the blade curved into a half-fish shape that almost looked like half a heart, creating the teeth of the key. The colors fade from white, to light pink, to yellow along the teeth. A small, yellow fish made up the keychain. "Let's go," she said, gripping her blade, Healing Waters.

Collen dove forward first, sweeping his Keyblade from side to side with both hands, clearing a path. Kai ran forward, jumping over him, doing a front flip in the air, and bringing his Keyblade down on the Heartless as he dropped onto them. Collen and Kai fought well together. Kai was constantly moving, ducking under strikes and Collen's long reach as Collen swung his blade at the Heartless around them.

Meanwhile, Gina clasped her Keyblade in front of her chest with both hands, took a deep breath, and started using one of her healing abilities: Pray.

As the group moved forward, they found themselves right near another trio: Mora, Chuck, and Mei. Kai slowly found himself distracted by Mora as she fought, her graceful body moving from strike, to block, to dodge and throw in fluid movements.

Oh-Kingdom-Hearts-grant-us-Kai-stop-getting-distracted-by-Mora-light-to-heal-the-battle-wounds-from-darkness," Gina, who was right near the boy, chanted, not missing a beat as she reprimanded her team mate. Kai jumped, not expecting that, and chuckled sheepishly.

"Heh, sorry," he muttered, rubbing the back of his head, before returning to the battle. Collen, who had felt the pause in the steady stream of weak healing magic when Gina halted her chant, glanced over at the boy with a soft chuckle, before returning to the fight, Gina's steady chanting keeping them strong.

…

By the time the Heartless were finally defeated, all of the warriors were exhausted. Most of them collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily or letting the healers of their team take care of any missed injury.

Collen, however, was not one of them. He had collapsed to the ground, like the others, but he didn't stay there. Using Crystal Break to push himself up, he stumbled towards the Dark Castle.

"Collen!?" a surprised voice suddenly called. He turned to see Riku sitting on the ground. Sora and Kairi, who were sitting nearby, looked over as well.

"Master," Collen said, bowing his head in respect to his mentor. "Sorry I disobeyed, but this is my home. I couldn't not help defend it," he explained. Riku glanced at the others, before pushing himself up with a soft, tired groan. He came over to the boy with a sigh.

"Kai and Gina came too, huh?" he asked. Collen smiled slightly and nodded.

"Yes," he said.

"Called it," Sora said, putting his arms behind his head and laying back. Riku sighed softly at that, shaking his head, before looking back at his apprentice.

"Where are you going now?" he asked.

"The Dark Castle. We need to see why the Heartless came, and why they converged on this spot. Right, Master?" he asked. Riku looked thoughtful, before nodded.

"Yes. Sharp instincts, Collen. I'll come with you, though," he said. Collen frowned slightly.

"But Master, you're exhausted…"

"So are you," Riku noted, looking pointedly at how Collen was leaning against Crystal Breaker. Collen looked down, before chuckling at himself.

"Okay."

The two moved through the now empty Great Maw and onto the thin, winding path leading to the Dark Castle.

"It's been a while, huh?" Riku suddenly asked.

"Hm?"

"Since you've seen your home world," he clarified.

"Oh. Yes, it has. I love the Islands, but…"

"There's no place like home?"

"Yes."

"I wish I could have seen you fighting today, Collen. It would have given me a good chance to assess your skills."

"Well, Master, perhaps next time you could bring us with you," Collen suggested with a small smile. Riku laughed at that.

"Fair enough."

…

"You should have seen us, Master!" Kai said, somehow retaining energy as he bounced over to where Sora still laid on the ground. He threw himself down to sit next to his own mentor. Gina, who had followed him over, grinned, crossing her arms and looking at Kairi.

"Oh yes, Master. You should have seen it. Collen was busy fighting, and I was keeping their butts alive. Meanwhile, Kai was gawking at Mora," she said teasingly.

"Hey!"

Sora, who had opened his eyes and was listening, snorted, sitting up and putting a hand on Kai's head, ruffling the boy's blue-black spikes.

"We _really_ gotta work on your getting distracted thing, Kai," he said. Kai pouted.

"Yes, Master…"

"So what happened to you three staying home?" Kairi asked.

"Sorry, Master, but Collen was going to come either way. We couldn't let him come alone" Gina said softly. Kairi's stern face softened.

"Makes sense," Sora said, dropping his hand from Kai's spikes.

…

"We told you to stay home," Roxas said sternly as he, Lea, and Xion stood in front of their own apprentices, having found them pretty quickly after the battle. Mora stepped forward, bowing her head slightly.

"I apologize, Master. I had read the letter you received and found it illogical for us to not come and help, when it asked for all available wielders."

Roxas sighed at his apprentice. "Mora, us telling you to stay put automatically made you three unavailable."

"Hey, we helped, didn't we?" Chuck asked. "You needed all the help you could get!"

"He has a point," Lea, who had been listening with his arms crossed, said, glancing down at Roxas, who sighed. Xion giggled.

"I think they did a good job," she said, before looking at her own apprentice. "I thought I saw someone summon Mushu. Good job, Mei."

Mei blushed brightly, but smiled.

"Thank you, Master," she said with a bow.

…

"I told you they were ready," Ven said with a grin at Aqua as those two and Terra walked over to their own apprentices. Jasper's deep voice, singing his Soothing Melody to heal his teammates, had alerted them to the apprentice's presence. Aqua watched as her apprentice finished his song, and the green light around those three faded.

"Yes… I guess you're right," she sighed, before frowning slightly. "But they still disobeyed us."

Jasper looked up upon hearing those three, and bit his lip.

"Uh… guys," he muttered to his team mates. Bion and Kaya looked over, before those three quickly lined up, clearly more disciplined then the other two groups of apprentices.

"True," Terra said in response to Aqua's complaint, "but every great story begins with a small act of disobedience. Right, Ven?" he said.

"Right," Ven said with a laugh, while Aqua simply sighed.

…

"Oh no…" Collen gasped. He and Riku had made their way through the castle, to the Grand Hall, home of the Keyhole.

Neither expected to find the Keyhole open, with darkness pouring out of it. Collen looked up at Riku.

"Master, what do we do?" he asked.

"We re-lock it," Riku replied, stepping forward and pointing his Keyblade, Way to Dawn, at the source of the darkness. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the tip of his blade flashed, before shooting out a beam of light, which sliced though the darkness. There was a loud click, and the darkness slowly dissipated.

"That should calm the Heartless down," he said. Collen nodded, and the two made their way back to the others.

…

Master Yen Sid awaited in his Tower, King Mickey standing beside him. The nine Keyblade Masters, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Roxas, Lea, Xion, Aqua, Ventus, and Terra were downstairs, on their way up. Yen Sid had called them here, straight from Radiant Garden.

"Gee, I wonder what's taking them?" Mickey muttered. Yen Sid smiled slightly.

"Their apprentices are with them," Yen Sid said. "I imagine they're telling them to stay downstairs while they come up here."

"Oh…" Mickey sighed. "I can't believe every single one of them has an Apprentice. It's been so long since there were so many active Keyblade wielders, huh Master?" he asked. Yen Sid glanced at his former apprentice and nodded.

"It has, though I fear this is a sign of things to come," the sorcerer admitted.

Before Mickey could answer, the door opened, and all nine masters entered, lining up in front of the desk.

"Well?" Master Yen Sid asked. It was Riku who stepped forward.

"With the help of our apprentices, we managed to defeat the threat to Radiant Garden. But… me and my apprentice entered the Dark Castle, to see what had attracted them there in the first place. It was the Keyhole. It had been unlocked," he explained.

"What!?" Mickey gasped.

"And we know the Princesses of Heart hadn't been used," Sora added, looking at Kairi.

"No, they weren't. All are safe in their individual worlds," Yen Sid agreed. "Which means, a new power must have been used. Are you sure it was the Keyhole?" he asked.

"Yes, Master. I… I'll never forget where Radiant Garden's Keyhole is." Riku glanced away slightly. Sora and Kairi looked at their friend in worry, while the other Masters looked away politely. Riku took a deep breath and looked back at Yen Sid. "Besides, I relocked it myself."

"Then it is as I feared," Yen Sid sighed.

"Master?" Mickey asked.

"As I was just telling Mickey, I fear the rise in Keyblade Wielders is a sign that something is coming."

"Something?" Terra asked. "Surely not something worse than Xehanort?" A collective shudder ran through the group at the mention of the man they had defeated eight years ago.

"No way! Nothing can be worse than Xehanort," Sora replied with a grin. "Right?"

"I don't know," Yen Sid admitted, standing and walking over to the moon shaped window, looking out at the star studded sky. "But more Keyblade wielders are appearing all over the worlds. Too many to train one on one."

"No problem!" Sora said with a grin, putting his hands behind his head. "We can each train more than one. Like…" He hesitated for a moment, thinking. "Like factions of some kind."

"No," Ven suddenly said, stepping forward. "I refuse to do that. Wielders should work together. Splitting them into factions, into _Unions_ , feeds natural competition, which leads to disaster."

A heavy silence fell over the room at his words. Lea was the one to break it.

"So what's your, Roxas's and Sora's excuse?" he asked teasingly. The corners of Ven's mouth twitched, breaking him out of his serious mood.

"That's friendly competition and completely different than what Sora was suggesting," he said, trying to stay serious.

"Doesn't seem friendly all the time," Lea countered. Sora grinned.

"He has a point," he said, motioning to Lea. He then grew serious. "But you're right. I didn't think."

"You never think," Roxas muttered.

"Hey!" Sora gasped indignantly, turning to face the other blond.

"Hmm… how about a school type of set up?" Mickey suddenly suggested.

"A school?" Aqua asked.

"Yeah. Each of you can teach a different class, and _share_ apprentices!" Mickey explained. Xion nodded.

"That would make them more well-rounded. After all, each of us have something different we can teach," she said.

"And teaching these things like a class would let us teach a larger amount of people at one time!" Kairi added.

"So, what do we call it?" Terra asked. Kairi stepped forward, pulling her star shaped charm from her pocket. Seeing this, Aqua stepped forward, pulling out her Wayfinder.

"You based that off of the fruit from our island, right? Off of these charms?" Kairi asked.

"Mhm. Because that fruit ties together destinies," Aqua admitted. Kairi grinned at her, and understanding dawned on Aqua's face.

"Paopu. Paopu Academy," she said.

…

 **A/N:** Tada! Remember, submit me your OCs! PLEASE. I need 20 more!

All OCs in this chapter belong to me, with the exception of Kaya. Kaya belongs to Wolfiered23.


	2. Episode One: The Beginning of a Semester

**A/N:** Hey guys! I'm loving the feedback I've received so far, as well as the OCs! Keep them coming, please!

This chapter happens two years after the previous one. Each student is placed into a team of three. The original apprentices are already split into teams, which you'll see here, but a later chapter explains the teams more. Well, enjoy!

…

Episode One – The Beginning of a Semester

Paopu Academy, where Keyblade Wielders became Masters. Run by the Nine Masters, it was set up in Radiant Garden, in the castle that had once belonged to the great Ansem the Wise. The first year or two was rocky as the Masters got used to teaching in this way, and classes were still being developed, but as it entered its third year, the Masters were confident that they knew what they were doing.

Some of the students had stayed in Radiant Garden over the break, while others had returned to their home worlds to visit their families.

Sora stood on one of the towers, watching as Highwind, the orange and yellow Gummi Ship, came into view, carrying those students who didn't know how to pilot their own ships. A trio of students followed after it, clad in their Armor and riding the Keyblade Gliders. Sora grinned when recognizing them as Team Twilight, the three students who had been Roxas's, Lea's, and Xion's original apprentices.

The one in front, who kept doubling back and zipping around the other two, was a young boy clad in black and gold armor. He was riding a silver and gold hover board-like glider, doing flips and all.

The second one, a young woman in armor that looked very much like the outfits he and Riku wore in The Grid, suddenly spun her Light Cycle like Glider around to face the boy, blocking his path to keep him from accidently knocking the third member off of her glider.

The third one, wearing red and gold Chinese armor, had brought her red and white scooter-like glider to a halt to avoid hitting either of her teammates.

"Hey, guys!" Sora yelled, waving to them. The three apprentices turned to look at him, before the one in black and gold armor zipped around the one in black and blue and shot over to Sora. A few feet from the ground, he jumped off the board, and a flash of light caused his armor to disperse.

Standing in front of him was Chuck, now fifteen. He still wore the black hoody with the cat ears, though he now had it open, revealing a green shirt underneath. His black cargo pants had one long leg, the left, while the right pant leg stopped just below his knee. The fake cat tail attached to his pants swung with each movement.

"Hey Master Sora!" he said brightly. The two girls landed behind him, and in two more flashes of light, Mora and Mei were revealed as their armor disappeared. Mora, now eighteen, looked no different from two years ago. Her short, choppy black hair still fell forward into her face, her crystal blue eyes peeking out from among the strands. Sora noticed the lines on her clothes were glowing brighter today, as was the ISO symbol on her left arm. A sure sign of her excitement, even if that emotion didn't reach her face.

Mei, also eighteen, had only grown a few inches. She still wore her red and gold silk floor length robe, the sleeves about two feet longer then her arms, hiding her hands. The ends of the red sash tied around her waist swirled around her with each movement as she bowed to Sora.

"Master Sora. It's great to see you again," she said in such a soft voice, Sora almost didn't hear her.

"You too, guys. Excited for another year?" he asked.

"Yes," Mora said with a nod. "We're finally taking our Marks of Mastery this year."

"Hm…" Sora put a fist to his chin, looking up thoughtfully. "Is that this year? I don't know, I don't think you guys are ready," he teased. Mora huffed, recognizing it as a joke, while Mei covered her mouth in surprise, a soft giggle escaping her.

"Hey! We are totally ready!" Chuck huffed, crossing his arms. Sora laughed, patting Chuck on the head.

"Not with that attitude, kiddo," he said, before motioning to the door. "Go get settled in your room."

"Yes, Master," all three said before exiting. Sora turned, glancing down in the courtyard, where Cid was unloading luggage from the Gummi Ship. Young people, ranging from the ages of thirteen to twenty milled around him, taking their luggage. The older ones headed right into the castle, while some of the younger ones milled around Cid, waiting for more instruction. Sora couldn't help but grin as he recognized quite a few, recruited by him personally.

Movement from the sky caught his attention again. Looking up he spotted another trio he recognized.

The one in front wore red and gold Spartan armor, riding a bronze and red bike like glider.

Just behind him, wearing very flexible silver and purple armor, was another young man, riding a silver bike like glider with two black ribbons training behind it.

Next to him was a young woman wearing dark purple and white armor that looked similar to Aqua's armor. She rode a glider that resembled a dark blue and black ship, her left hand keeping her red fedora planted firmly on her head.

Sora waved them down, and the three of them landed in front of him. Three flashes of light later, Team Departure, comprised of Terra, Aqua, and Ventus's original apprentices, stood in front of him.

"Hello, Master," Bion, now nineteen, said, nodding his head. Bion only grew more muscles since two years ago, and even a few more battle scars on his already scared arms since Sora saw him at the end of last semester. He was taller than Sora himself, wearing a brown Hercules-like tunic with a blood red cape, black pants, and knee high-lace up combat boots.

"Bion. Enter the Games again?" Sora asked, looking at one of the young man's fresher looking scars. The young warrior grinned, flexing the bicep where his new scar was.

"Yep! I nearly won this time, too." A small frown crossed his face. "Hercules cheats though," he muttered, before looking up at Sora. "Did he go invincible when you fought him, Master Sora?" he demanded. Sora laughed.

"Yep. There's a trick to defeating him though," he said with a wink, before looking at the other two. "How were your breaks?" he asked.

"Good. It was nice, hearing the music of home again," Jasper said with a smile.

Jasper, also nineteen at this point, stood just as tall as Bion, but with a slim, lithe figure of a dancer. His long, light purple hair had grown a little longer than before, but was still tied back in a low ponytail. He wore a sleeveless turtleneck, silver top that ended just under his pecks, showing off a six pack, with three amethyst gems set into it across his collar bone. A long purple sash was tied around his waist, sitting low on his hips, with the ends long and free flowing, and baggy white pants that tightened at the ankles clad his legs. A purple silk wrap covered the top of his legs, short on the right side, knee length on the left, with silver diamond designs along the hem. Over top the wrap was a silver linked belt, and on his hands were silver dancer gloves with little silver discs attached. Every time he moved, his gloves and belt would jingle softly, giving the illusion music followed him everywhere.

Sora smiled at that, before finally looking at Kaya.

The oldest of the three, Kaya's red fedora was pulled low over her eyes, the silver starfish pin attached to it flashing. She had also grown an inch or two. She was wearing a light purple blouse with bell sleeves that moved with her, black jeans, and black boots.

"It was nice to see the Land of Departure again," Kaya said, not meeting Sora's eye. Sora nodded in understanding, not pushing her.

"I'm sure. Go get settled. I'll see you at the assembly," he told them. The three nodded, heading inside. Sora watched as Bion put a comforting arm around Kaya, while Jasper hummed some bouncy little tune.

"That was stupid of me," Sora muttered, looking back down. By this point, Cid had gathered the younger students and were leading them inside. As Sora watched, Team Destiny, comprised of his, Riku's, and Kairi's original apprentices, entered through the courtyard, having been staying in town with Collen's parents for the past week.

Leading the way, now eighteen, was Sora's original apprentice himself, Kai. His black-blue spikes bounced with each step, having grown a little longer in the last two years. He wore a sleeveless black undershirt that zippered in the front, with a light blue short sleeved jacket over it. The jacket had a black hood that was currently down. He wore dark blue cargo pants with a yellow belt. Two black straps were attached to the belt at the boy's hips, crossing behind his legs, and attaching to the pants just above the knees. On his feet were large, dark blue shoes with silver soles, and black wristbands covered his wrists.

Just behind him, also eighteen, was Collen, his long light brown hair pulled into a high ponytail. He wore a skin tight black shirt under a dark red, long sleeved, open jacket that dropped to just below his butt. The sleeves of the jacket were tucked into the black fingerless gloves he wore, and his legs were clad in dark brown pants, with three belts stacked on top of each other around his waist. Completing the look were black sneakers and a black scarf.

Following those two, also eighteen, was Gina. Her long, thick black hair swayed with each step, contrasting with the white top with red trimming she wore. The top had a white hood with the same red trimming that was currently down, and long, flowing sleeves. The top was open and short, revealing the black bikini top she wore under it, and her stomach. Covering the black bikini bottoms she wore was a purple wrap, a lot like Jasper's, but made from sturdier cloth then the dancer's. On her feet were purple flats, and around her neck was a light pink and yellow seashell, held there but a piece of thin ship twine.

Sora watched as those three talked amongst themselves, laughing. Kai shoved Collen's shoulder, who suddenly caught him in a headlock, while Gina watched, laughing. For a moment, Sora saw himself, Riku, and Kairi.

"How fitting," he said with a grin, watching as Kai struggled against the bigger boy, until Collen finally let him go and started walking forward. Gina suddenly darted forward, jumping on Collen's back, while Kai laughed.

Shaking the memories of himself with his two friends away, Sora turned and entered the castle himself. It had come a long way since they had rediscovered it. All of the wires and pipes were now concealed, the rubble cleaned up, and sounds of life filled the halls.

"There you are!" Kairi said, coming out of a different hallway and joining Sora as he walked towards the Audience Chamber. "The assembly is about to start!"

"I know. I was on the roof," Sora admitted.

"Were you taking another nap?" the red head accused.

"What!? No! I was watching the students come in!" Sora said indignantly. Kairi giggled at him.

"Sure." She shook her head. "Don't forget, you're giving the opening speech this year!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Sora huffed, before grinning and jogging forward. Kairi grinned, following after him.

…

Kai, Collen, and Gina finally entered the Audience Chamber, which was already milling with students.

"Do you see them?" Kai asked his taller friend.

"Guys! Kai, Collen, Gina! GUYS! Over here!" a voice suddenly yelled.

"Not yet, but I hear them," Collen said with a smirk, glancing around. Jumping up and down in his seat was Chuck. Collen led the two over, and couldn't help but smirk. Chuck was sitting between Mora and Bion, with Jasper sitting on Bion's other side. There was an empty seat next to Mora, and next to that was Mei, with Kaya on her other side. Gina grinned, gently shoving Kai over to that empty seat, while they sat on Kaya's other side.

Kai, his heart in his throat, sat down, before looking at Mora. She was holding her Identity Disk in her left hand. A holograph floated over it, depicting a puzzle game, which Mora manipulated with her right hand.

"H-hey, Mora. That looks fun…" he said.

"Hello, Kai," Mora replied, her eyes flickering over to the boy before continuing with her game. "It is."

"H-hello, Kai," Mei suddenly said from the boy's other side, her voice extremely soft. Kai jumped slightly, turning to face her.

"Hey Mei," he said, causing Mei's face to turn red. "Have a good break?"

"Oh, uh, um… y-yes," the woman stuttered, covering her cheeks with her sleeve-clad hands. "It was nice to see Twilight Town again."

Kai was forced to lean forward to hear what she said, but smiled at her words all the same.

…

Thirteen-year-old first year, Hazel, quickly found a seat in the Audience Chamber, trying not to freak out at the large amount of people in the room. She hopped into a chair next to an older student with long silvery-white hair, wearing mostly black and white, and settled down, her feet tucked under her on the seat, her hands gripping the edge of the seat between her feet. Ice blue eyes flickered over to her from between a curtain of that silvery-white hair, taking in Hazel's dark brown hair, forest green eyes, white tank top, green knee-length skirt, and bare feet, but otherwise seemed to ignore her. Hazel hesitated for a moment, before taking a deep breath.

"Hi. My name's Hazel. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said to the girl next to her, remembering the etiquette lessons she had learned from her mother. The woman turned a little more towards her.

"Aila," she said.

"Guys! Kai, Collen, Gina! GUYS! Over here!"

Hazel jumped slightly and turned towards the sound of someone yelling, only to see a young boy dressed as a cat jumping up and down in his seat. The trio who had just walked in walked towards him, waving and talking to not just him, but the five people he sat with. Hazel studied them, noticing that they were all older than most of the students in the room, with the exception of cat-boy.

In fact, most of the people in the room seemed to throw quick glances back at the group of nine, and her sharp ears could pick up muttering.

" _Look at them! They're the Legends!"_

" _Not talking to anyone again during the Opening Assembly. The Legends never seem to socialize with anyone except each other, huh?"_

" _That's not fair. The Legends have known each other much longer than anyone else here."_

"The Legends?" Hazel asked, turning back to Aila. The young woman glanced over at the group of nine, before looking back at Hazel.

"The original apprentices of the Masters. Before they opened the Academy," Aila explained. "They're probably the most powerful students here, to be honest."

"Oh…"

"I hear they're pretty nice though, if you actually talk to them," Aila added with a smirk. Before Hazel could say anything else, Master Sora stepped to the podium. A hush fell over the students. Sora looked out at them, before smiling.

"Welcome to Paopu Academy. Or, welcome back to the returning students," he said with that infectious grin of his. "Most of you know me, but for those who don't, I'm Sora." There were a few chuckles at him omitting the title of Master from his introduction. "Paopu Academy was founded to train new Keyblade Wielders to fight both Heartless and the forces of Darkness. The Keyblade Wielder's job is to maintain the balance of Light and Dark in the worlds," Sora began, growing serious. "But beyond that, we are what tie the Destiny of the worlds together. That's actually where the name of the school comes from.

"The Paopu fruit comes from Kairi, Riku, and my home world, Destiny Islands. It is said that when two people share a Paopu fruit, their destinies become intertwined, forever. We are the Paopu fruits of the worlds: shared among them, and connecting their destinies. And it is those destinies that we must protect. Although we aren't currently facing a crisis, you all know how quickly the tide can change. And we'll make sure you all are prepared. So, again, welcome," Sora finished. The students clapped politely, and Sora couldn't help but smile. "Xion, Kairi, and Naminé will show the first years to their temporary rooms until they receive their team assignments," he said. The three women he named stood, heading towards the door. "And the older students are free to explore the castle and town for the rest of the night. Just remember that the Cavern of Remembrance is off limit-" he looked pointedly at the group of nine sitting in the back, "-as is the area beyond the town. Classes start Monday. Good luck!"

"The Cavern of Remembrance?" Hazel asked as the students around her began to rise from their seats, only to find her neighbor, Aila, already gone.

"An extremely dangerous cavern, with the entrance just outside the castle," another voice answered. Hazel jumped slightly, turning towards the new voice, only to find Bion standing behind her. He smirked. "I heard the Masters say that they're going to use it for the Mark of Mastery exam."

"Oh. Y-you're one of those Legends, right?" Hazel asked, surprised. Bion laughed at that.

"You can say that. You might want to hurry though. You're a first year, right?" he asked, motioning over his shoulder with his thumb. Hazel glanced over his shoulder, only to see the group of first years moving out of the Audience Chamber.

"Eep! Bye!" she called, darting after them. Bion chuckled at that before continuing towards the front, wanting to great his original Master, Terra.

…

 **A/N:** Alrighty! Here's another chapter for you guys!

Aila belongs to DeathTheManiac

Kaya belongs to Wolfiered23

All other OCs belong to me

PLEASE SUBMIT OCS! I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO POPULATE THIS STORY MYSELF AND I STILL NEED 19!


	3. Episode Two: New Students Pt1

**A/N:** The fun has arriiiiiiived! Thank you, thank you very much!

No, seriously guys, thanks for all the support so far!

Now, this main story is split into "episodes," each with its own mini-story within this fic. And each episode will feature different characters as they deal with different situations. The next one or two Episodes will prominently feature this group of first years.

Also, I have all the first and fourth years I need. Please send me second and third years! Also, please, no more OCs with Radiant Garden as their home world. I already have quite a few that originate from Radiant Garden, and while they are AWESOME, I really… need more worlds then just this one.

Alright, not much more to say here! ONWARD!

…

Episode Two – New Students

 _Part One – Team Assignments_

Radiant Garden was bustling as groups of returning students ran from shop to shop, buying items to replace lost, broken, or forgotten ones. The cafés and restaurants were mobbed with groups reuniting after the two-month break, and business was just overall booming.

It was obvious the first day back for students was a favorite for the business owners, if their fat Munny Pouches at the end of the day were any indication.

For Hazel though, who had never seen this many people in one spot before (or ever, really), it was all very new. She slowly walked through town, turning this way and that, drinking in the sights and listening to the chatter. Even the _smells_ were new for her! As she entered another district, a concoction of sweet smells assaulted her nose. Sniffing the air, she dropped into a crouch, supporting her weight on her toes and knuckles, and moved forward, following the scent.

…

Ventus loved Radiant Garden's one and only Candy Shop. It held all kinds of sweets, from all different worlds, and the Moogle running it, Kupetta, was the sweetest Moogle Ven had ever met.

Once the Opening Assembly had finished, this was the first place he bought one of the first years he'd found, knowing of her love for sweets.

Kupetta floated over to the fourteen-year-old girl. The girl had shoulder-blade length curly white hair that was currently down, with side bangs that hung in her light blue eyes. She wore a black tank top under a white short jacket, a knee-length white skirt that had blue lining along the hem, dark blue leggings underneath that, and white boots that go up to just below her knees. Around her neck was a red scarf, and completing the outfit were white fingerless gloves and a white hip satchel.

"Hey, sweetie. Can I help you find anything, kupo?" Kupetta asked.

"Oh, uh, just browsing. Thank you," the girl asked with a small smile.

"Okay. Oh, Master Ventus. I've already bagged up your usual, kupo!" she said, turning to the Keyblade Master. He laughed at that, pulling his Munny out.

"Thanks, Kupetta," he said, handing it to her and receiving a hefty bag of candy in return. The girl turned and raised an eyebrow at the man.

"I take it you come here often," she teased. Ven laughed with a shrug.

"You're not the only one who likes sweets, Amber," he said. "Besides, with how 'boring' a topic I teach, candy is a good way to motivate students."

"So you bribe them."

"It is so not bribing!" Ven gasped, mock-offended.

Before Amber could answer, the chime of the door rang. Curious, both glanced over, only to see Hazel.

Hazel had followed her nose all the way to a cute little candy shop, surprisingly uncrowded except for the Moogle shop owner, the Master, and Amber. Hazel's attention, however, was on the scents assaulting her sensitive nose. She sniffed the air, trying to discern between separate scents.

Ven and Amber glanced at each other before going back to watching this girl, who was crouched on the ground, sniffing the air.

"No…" Hazel suddenly gasped in disbelief. "Honey?" She darted over to one of the displays, pulling herself to an upright standing position with the shelf. Kupetta rushed over, worried by the girl's wild movement.

Suddenly, Ven recognized her as another first year that Sora had recruited one of the times he went to visit his friends on another world.

"You should go say hi," he said with a smile at Amber. "She's in your year."

"Er, I don't know…" Amber muttered.

Hazel sniffed the display excitedly, before noticing the numbers on each of the little baggies. Belatedly realizing what they meant, she pulled out her Munny.

The school gave each student 500 Munny at the beginning of each semester. Some students would add that to the amount they bought from home, while that would be all some students would have until they started fighting Heartless. Hazel, falling into the latter category, hesitated as she studied her Munny Pouch, before looking up at the candies, trying to decide if she really needed them.

Ven caught Amber's eye and motioned with his head towards the odd girl. Amber bit her lip, seeming unsure, but sighed and walked over.

"Um, hi," she said. Hazel jumped slightly, turning towards the girl. Once again remembering her mother's etiquette lessons, she stood up straight and held out her right hand towards the girl.

"Hi. My name's Hazel. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said with a smile.

"Amber. It's nice to meet you too," the white-haired girl said. She turned to look at the display Hazel had been looking at. "Honey Drops?" she asked.

"Yeah. I love Honey. But it's so hard to get back home," she explained. She then shrugged. "Oh what the heck," she said, picking up a bag and counting out the Munny. Kupetta, who had been hovering nearby, darted forward and took the Munny, before whisking away to the register. Hazel then turned to Amber, who was shifting her weight from foot to foot.

"So… are you a first year, too?" she asked.

"Er, yeah," Amber said.

"Master Sora's the one who bought me here. What about you?" Hazel asked curiously.

"Master Ve—" Amber cut off as she went to motion towards Ven, only to find that he wasn't in the store anymore. "Big Brother?" she asked in surprise, looking around.

"Master Ventus?" Hazel asked. Amber nodded, still looking around. "I just saw him slip out."

A small scowl crossed the girl's face. "Now why did he do something like that?"

…

Ventus watched the two girls as they exited the shop. The brunet, Hazel, offered Amber a Honey Drop, which Amber took with a small smile, even if she kept glancing around.

"Probably looking for me," Ven said with a smile, before shaking his head with a small puff of laughter. "I'm probably worried for no reason…"

…

Sixteen-year old Chronos weaved his way through the crowded town, sidestepping the people crowding the districts, his nose in a book. The other students didn't notice the short, small boy weaving among them, his chin length blond hair shining in the sun. He wore a pair of blue sweats with a hoodie of the same color. The hoodie was a size or two too large for his tiny structure, looking more like a cloak then a hoodie. Along both the pants and hoodie were silver roman numerals ranging from I (1) to XII (12).

Just as Chronos rounded a corner, someone a bit shorter, but much more solid, ran into him, making him fall back with an _oof_!

Hazel stumbled back slightly as the guy she ran into fell.

"I'm sorry," she said, leaning forward to help Chronos up. Amber smiled at that.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Y-yeah," Chronos said, picking his book up and brushing it off. Hazel smiled weakly at him.

"Hi, my name's Hazel. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said, shaking the boy's hand, which she still held.

"Er, likewise. I'm Chronos," he muttered, flexing his hand once the stronger girl let it go, his slender, long fingers nearly crushed in her abnormally strong grip.

"And I'm Amber," the other girl said, before looking over at Hazel. "You know there are more ways to introduce yourself, right?"

"Oh… um…" Hazel blushed, lowering her head slightly to hide behind her hair. Chronos, not understanding, just smiled weakly at them. The brunet shook her head and looked up again. "So do you attend Paopu Academy, too?" she asked. Chronos simply nodded to her question. Hazel, not seeming to know what else to say, shifted her weight. Thankfully, Amber stepped in then.

"Well, we'll let you get back to your book. It was nice to meet you, Chronos," she said, grabbing Hazel's arm and pulling her away. Chronos watched after the two girls, before letting out a soft breath and opening his book once more, making his way to the Outer Gardens and hopefully some peace and quiet.

…

The next morning found the assorted first years milling around in the Bailey. A few of them were looking out the windows, talking about the Dark Castle which sat in the distance, while some of them talked nervously about the Team Assignment Exam they would face today. Hazel was standing on the sill of one of the windows, studying the world from this vantage point, while Amber fidgeted nervously with her scarf, pulling it up and over her mouth and nose. Meanwhile, Chronos sat in a quiet corner, his nose buried in a book.

Just then, Masters Sora, Riku, and Kairi entered. Almost instantly, the students stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to them.

"Well, it looks like everyone's already here," Sora said with a grin. "I guess that means we can get started right away."

"Excuse me, but what will we be doing?" one of the students asked, raising their hand.

"We will be assessing each of your fighting styles so that we can build the teams in the most balanced way possible. Usually, we have a strength, a speed, and a magic user for each trio, but that doesn't always happen," Riku explained. "I'll be here to assess each of you, and Kairi will be here to heal any injuries. Basic spells and abilities are, of course, allowed, so that we can see what you can do."

"And what will we be fighting?" Hazel asked.

"Me," Sora said with a grin, stepping forward and summoning Kingdom Key. The students were silent for a second, before the muttering started. Riku shook his head with a chuckle.

"It's the same every year," he muttered to Kairi, who nodded, stepping forward.

"You'll be fighting Sora one on one. He's the most balanced fighter between the Nine Masters, so he can take most of what you can throw at him," she explained. Sora quirked an eyebrow at her, a small pout crossing his face.

"'Most'?" he asked, causing the first years to chuckle, most of their nervousness melting away. Kairi just smiled sweetly at him, before stepping back and nodding to Riku. Riku had the first years step back, clearing the middle of the Bailey, before calling the first student forward.

"Amber. You're up," he said, looking up from his clipboard with a smile at the white-haired girl. Amber straightened up slightly, before gulping softly and stepping forward. She brought her scarf up to her face, taking a deep breath of its scent, before tucking it back around her neck.

With her left hand, she unsheathed the sword that hung at her hip. The Holy Sword was just a few inches shorter than her leg. The grip was made of brown leather. A handguard, shaped as one angel wing, arched from the cross-piece, protecting only one side of her hand. The blade itself was a silver blue, with a line of pure light blue running down the middle.

In her right hand, she summoned her Keyblade, The Sleeping Lion. It looked a lot like the holy sword, but with a solid piece of metal acting as the other side of the handguard, opposite the wing. The point of the blade was a lion's head, while the teeth of the key was made of an arrow with wing like appendages. A silver-blue chain hung from the end, with another lion's head, the mane forming the shape of a wing.

Taking another deep breath, Amber entered her fighting stance, the Ballet first position with her left arm towards her side at a diagonal, and her right arm in the same position on her other side.

Sora grinned, getting into his iconic fighting stance. The two studied each other for a few tense moments.

"Begin!" Riku called.

The two circled each other for a few moments, before Sora suddenly dove forward, swiping at the girl with his Keyblade. She blocked it with her Holy Sword, before countering with Sleeping Lion. Sora let Kingdom Key bounce off of the sword rather than locking their blades together, and caught Sleeping Lion mid swing. Amber jumped back, disengaging from the first exchange of blows. Riku nodded, taking notes.

This time, it was Amber who initiated the attack, rushing forward and swinging both blades at Sora. It was clear she was new to dual wielding, as her left arm didn't have as much strength or dexterity as her right, but she was managing to hold her own against the Master. Sora fell back from her onslaught, blocking each strike. Finally, he parried a strike from the Holy Sword, creating an opening and striking her in the arm.

With a gasp of pain, Amber dropped her Holy Sword and jumped back. She frowned at the growing bruise, before looking up at Sora.

" _Cure!"_ she cried, glowing a light green. The bruise faded, as did some of the pain. Forgoing the sword, Amber dove forward again, using just Sleeping Lion. Amber and Sora traded blow for blow, until finally, Amber ducked under one of Sora's strikes and into his guard. She surged upward, her shoulder slamming into his chest. Sora gasped as the air was pushed out of him and he fell back, having not expected her shoulder to be so… _solid._ For a moment, he thought he saw the light reflect off of her shoulder as she jumped back, but in the blink of an eye, the glare was gone.

Kairi and Riku glanced at each other as Sora caught his breath, rubbing his chest, before Riku nodded.

"Time. That was good, Amber," he said, glancing over his notes. Amber smiled shyly at the praise, de-summoning her Keyblade and picking up her sword, re-sheathing it.

"Thank you," she said, stepping back into line. Kairi cast a quick cure spell on Sora, who nodded with a smile to her, waiting for the next person.

…

Two students later, Chronos's name was called. He walked forward nervously, watching as Sora nodded encouragement to him. With a deep breath, he summoned his own Keyblade, Strikes Twelve.

Strikes Twelve was comprised of a thin, silver blade with roman numerals etched into the blade in gold, reaching up the side, only about three feet long. Near the point, the blade curved around, forming a circle with a clock face in the center. From the handguard hung a thin chain, with a golden roman numeral twelve hanging off.

Chronos held Strikes Twleve level in front of him, posed more to allow him to better parry attacks than to actually strike. Riku nodded at this, jotting down a few notes under Chronos's name.

It was clear Chronos was nervous, as his already too-pale face was even paler. However, he stood his ground as Riku called "Begin!"

After a few minutes of Sora and Chronos studying each other, the Master dove forward. Chronos ducked under his attacks, moving to the side and away from Sora, who kept coming. Finally finding his back against the wall, Chronos took a deep breath.

" _STOP!"_ he yelled. A clock face appeared in front of Sora, made out of purple light, and the Master froze mid-swing. Chronos moved closer, striking a few times at Sora, before quickly moving away, knowing Sora wouldn't stay frozen for long.

He was right. As soon as he was out of Sora's reach, the Kingdom Key Wielder began to move again.

Before Sora could pin Chronos again, the boy cast Slow, causing a green clock face to flash before Sora, slowing his movements down long enough for him to get a few good hits in, before darting out of his reach as the spell wore off.

The sparring match went on like this for a few more minutes, with Chronos alternating between Stop and Slow, until Riku called time, laughter clear in his voice. Sora pouted at him, knowing Riku was laughing at how ridiculous he had looked moving at a snail's pace.

"That was good, Chronos. It's clear to see you're more of a magic user, but that's very useful in battle," Kairi said, elbowing Riku in the ribs to get him to stop laughing, and kicking Sora in the shin as he opened his mouth to say something to the Way to Dawn Master. The first years laughed, while Chronos smiled slightly at the woman's praise, stepping back into line.

…

"Hazel," Riku called after a few more matches. The girl stepped forward with a grin. She waited for Kairi to finish healing Sora, before summoning her own Keyblade, Jungle Fang. The handguard was round, looking like jungle vines, while the brown, round, blade of the Keyblade was taller than Hazel herself, the length of a short spear. A blade made from sharpened rock was tied to the point of the Keyblade, making up the key's teeth, and a small vine hung from the guard, with a leopard's fang attached to the end.

Hazel herself crouched forward, her feet spread wide apart, her center of gravity very close to the ground. Her left hand was held in front of her, gripping Jungle Fang, while her right hand was held up and behind her, palm facing the ground. Her bare toes spread wide apart, almost unnaturally, as she gripped at the ground with her feet. She bared her teeth in a playfully threatening way as Sora got into her own stance.

"Begin!" Riku yelled. Before the word even fully left his mouth, Hazel was on the move. She darted to the side, jumped up, and bounced off the wall, swinging her Keyblade wildly in long, sweeping attacks. Sora rolled backwards, out of her reach, and followed up with diving forward himself. Hazel crouched low to the ground, watching him race towards her. She still held the grip of the blade in her left hand, but she was also holding the blade just a foot before the teeth of the key, holding it just like a spear. She managed to block a few of Sora's strikes, before suddenly jumping straight up in the air.

Recognizing the attack, Sora rolled out of the way, just as Hazel slammed Keyblade first into the ground in a messy Jump attack. As she stood, Sora took a few quick swipes at her. Hazel jumped back, avoiding Kingdom Key, and bared her teeth at him again.

The two went back and forth like this for a few more minutes until Riku called time, jotting notes down. Hazel stood up straight, de-summoned her Keyblade, and stepped back, just as Sora turned to his next sparring partner.

…

After the last of the first years, the students were free to explore town while the Masters met. Riku spread the notes he took out on the table so that each Master could see them, and slowly, but surely, twelve first years became four teams.

…

"Amber, Chronos, and Hazel," Aqua called, standing in front of the first years. These three students stepped forward. "You are now Team Dragon Light. Look to your teammates in your darkest times, as they will act as a light of guidance and friendship."

"Yes, Master," those three said, bowing their heads to her, then stepping back into line. Amber glanced at Hazel with a smile, while Hazel grinned brightly at her. Meanwhile, Chronos looked between his two new teammates. Amber seemed okay enough to him, but he wasn't too sure about rooming and fighting alongside such a wild person as Hazel.

There was only one thing Amber was sure of when it came to her new team. Things were bound to be interesting.

…

 **A/N** : FINALLY!

Okay guys!


	4. Episode Two: New Students Pt2

**A/N:** Hey guys! I'm back! And I'm such a dork. I totally forgot to credit OCs!

Hazel – mine

Amber – WolfieRed23

Chronos – pureshadow013

Okay, I still need 4 second years, and 3 third years. I have closed submissions for first and fourth years. Also, unless I've talked to you, no more OCs from Radiant Garden, and none from Daybreak Town. Daybreak Town is considered a "dead world" in this story.

Alright, I think that takes care of the business end of things. ONWARD!

…

Episode Two – New Students

 _Part Two – First Day_

Hazel, Amber, and Chronos made their way through the castle, Amber in the lead. After Master Aqua had announced their teams, they were sent to look for their rooms.

"435, 435…" Amber muttered to herself, looking at each door's number. Hazel, meanwhile, was looking around, clearly uncomfortable in the confined space of the hall, while Chronos seemed deep in thought.

"Aha!" Amber suddenly announced, causing her teammates to look over. Amber walked over to a door with a brass number plate on it. On the plate was the number 435. "Here we are," she said, opening the door.

Inside was a moderately sized room. There were three beds, their headboards lined against the wall opposite the door, and a large window behind them, open to let in the pleasant breeze and air out the room. The floor was hardwood, matching the wood of the head and floor boards of the beds, the three desks that were placed along the same wall as the door, and the large bookshelf that stood in the corner next to the last desk.

On the right hand side of each bed was a night stand, and there were three small dressers, one at the foot of each bed. The ceiling was high and crisscrossed with rafters, giving the room a large, airy feeling. On the wall to the right was another door, opened slightly to show that it lead to the bathroom.

"This is nice," Amber said, walking further in. Chronos followed her in, immediately checking out the desks and bookshelf.

"Yeah. Lots of book space," he agreed, before those two claimed their beds. Chronos took the one almost directly across from the bookshelf, while Amber took the one in the middle. Hazel hesitantly sat down on her bed, and the three looked at each other, the room filling with an awkward silence. For the girls, it was one thing to walk around town and get to know each other. It was another to suddenly be thrown in a room together, along with a guy they only met in passing.

"I guess we should unpack, huh?" Amber finally said, standing. Chronos nodded, also standing and going over to his stuff.

From his bag, Chronos pulled a number of different books, ranging from fantasy, to sci-fi, to history. There were even a few magic books, synthesis books, comics, and mangas mixed in. He froze as he put them on the bookshelf.

"Er, you two aren't gonna…" he trailed off as Amber pulled out a small stack of books, mainly fairytales.

"Can I just have a shelf?" she asked. Chronos nodded and looked over at Hazel, who smiled at him.

"Nope, I'm good," the wild girl said. Chronos smiled slightly at that, and filled the bottom two shelves with basic synthesis ingredients and equipment as well, leaving the one above that, but under his books, clear for Amber.

After placing her books there, Amber filled her small dresser with her clothes, leaving her bag of sweets and a journal in her nightstand drawer. On top of the nightstand was a pink, star shaped earing, and a bluish-green diamond shaped gem. Finally, she placed a stuffed animal on her bed – a grey tabby-cat with black stripes.

Hazel packed her few clothes into her dresser, and placed two black and white photos on her night stand. The first was of a man with a mustache in a suit, and woman in a dress, holding a baby. The second was of an older, short, balding man, and a young woman, her hair tied up, wearing a high collared dress. Around the pictures, she placed different wild flowers, pressed and dried. They were pale compared to their living counterparts, but still beautiful.

"So… now what?" Amber asked as they finished.

"It's starting to get late," Chronos said, glancing at the time. "And we start classes tomorrow. Perhaps we should go to bed."

The girls agreed, and each took turns getting ready for bed.

…

Falling asleep for each member of Team Dragon Light was difficult. Hazel was still wide awake long after Chronos and Amber had fallen asleep, tossing and turning on the bed in an attempt to get comfortable. Finally, she sat up and looked up at the rafters, then down at her blankets and sheets.

She quickly stripped the bed and climbed into the rafters, building a hammock-like nest from the blankets and sheets, and settled into it, finally beginning to drift off.

That's when Amber cried out softly in her sleep. Chronos frowned slightly and rolled over, away from the girl, but Hazel's eyes had snapped open, staring through the darkness at her teammate.

Amber thrashed slightly in her bed, muttering incoherently, before letting out another soft cry.

Chronos woke up that time, only to hear movement coming from _above_ Hazel's bed. Looking over, he watched the wild-girl climb out of the hammock thing she had built, and move over to Amber's bed, crouching low to the ground.

"What are you doing?" Chronos asked quietly, rubbing his eye. Hazel glanced over at him.

"She's having a bad dream," Hazel whispered, before pulling herself into Amber's bed.

"I… er… see this. I meant… aren't you going to wake her up?" Chronos asked, propping himself up slightly on his elbow. Hazel shook her head and laid next to Amber, gently pulling her so that the other girl's head was on her chest. After a moment of listening to Hazel's heartbeat, Amber finally started calming down.

Chronos watched his two teammates for a moment as Hazel began to drift off, before laying down fully, trying to fall back asleep himself.

…

Ventus sat in the kitchen, a mug of hot cocoa topped with whipped cream in front of him. In front of him was an ancient book, full of pictures. He studied the one in the back of the book, depicting six people, before sighing and closing the book.

"What are you still doing awake?" a voice asked from behind. Ven nearly jumped out of his skin, before turning towards the door. Sora was standing there, looking at Ven in worry.

"Couldn't sleep. You?"

"Same. First day jitters, you know," Sora said with a smile, walking over to the fridge and grabbing a drink before sitting across from Ven. He glanced down at the ancient book closed and half-hidden under Ven's hand.

"Is that—" he began.

"Yes." Ven cut him off, before taking a sip of his cocoa.

"Oh." Sora sipped his drink too, deep in thought for a moment. "You're worried about her."

"Of course I'm worried about her," Ventus snapped, before his shoulders slumped with a deep sigh. "She's been through so much. And she keeps going through it. I just… don't know how to help her…"

"Ven, I'm worried about her, too. But… I'm also worried about you," Sora said.

"Me?" Ven asked, looking up at him. "Why?"

"You've been having nightmares, haven't you?" Sora asked. Ven didn't answer, preferring instead to look away. "I thought so. Have you… thought of talking to someone?"

"The only person who would understand is dealing with her own issues right now. You know if I burden her with this, it'll make things worse," Ven said.

"It doesn't have to be someone who understands everything completely. Just someone who's willing to listen. And you have no shortage of that," Sora reminded him. Ven looked up at him for a moment, before smiling slightly.

"Do you have a minute?" he asked. Sora grinned.

"Just a minute?"

"Well… maybe an hour or two," Ven said, looking down at the book. Sora smiled.

"Yes. What's on your mind?"

…

Amber felt more rested as she woke up this morning then she's felt in a long time. She smiled slightly, refusing to open her eyes just yet, though from the red of her eyelids, she could tell it was light in the room.

Suddenly, she noticed something… odd with her pillow. Well, a few somethings. First of all, it was a bit firmer than the one she fell asleep on. Secondly, it rose and fell slightly.

Finally, it had a heartbeat.

Amber's eyes flew open as she sat straight up in bed, turning to look. Hazel was laying in her bed, and it had been her chest that Amber's head had been resting on. The young brunet groaned softly in her sleep, before blinking her eyes open.

"Um… what are you doing in my bed?" Amber asked.

"You… you were having a nightmare. In my family, when one has a nightmare, someone else will sleep with them and let that person listen to their heartbeat," Hazel explained.

"Your… family?" Chronos asked. He had been awake for an hour or two, lost in his History book. But now, he was focused on the conversation happening between the girls.

"Yes. Akut and I would comfort each other all the time in the same way. He had lots of nightmares for a while." A scowl crossed Hazel's face before she smiled up at the silver-haired girl. "You're a lot lighter than a gorilla though," she finished with a smile.

"A… gorilla…" Amber muttered.

"Mhm. I'm from Deep Jungle," Hazel said with a grin, jumping off the bed to stand and lifting her head proudly. "I am the daughter of Tarzan, King of the Jungle, and Jane."

"Well… as much as I appreciate you comforting me last night... perhaps next time you could just… I don't know, wake me up?" Amber asked.

"Oh…" Hazel looked down, before blushing. "Humans only do that kind of thing for a lover or family member. That's right. Mother taught me that," she said, her cheeks growing even darker. Amber smiled, putting a hand on the younger girl's shoulder.

"It's okay. I'm not mad," she said. Hazel smiled at that.

"Um, guys… maybe we should be getting ready for class?" Chronos suddenly suggested. Amber quickly looked at the time.

"Oh, right!" she gasped, before grabbing her stuff and darting into the bathroom.

…

Once ready, Team Dragon Light left their room, headed for their first class. Hazel was telling the other two more about her world – Tree Surfing, vine swinging, and swimming with the hippos and elephants. Amber was listening, while Chronos was deep in thought.

Since the Team Assignment Exam, when he faced Master Sora, something has been… bugging him.

"Master, are you okay? You look tired."

Chronos looked up at the sound of that voice, recognizing one of the fourth years, the one with bluish-black hair, talking to Master Sora. The Master smiled warmly at him, ruffling the boy's hair.

"I'm okay, Kai. I just didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night."

"Hey, guys. Um, I'll catch up, okay?" Chronos said. Amber and Hazel both turned to look at him.

"You sure?" Amber asked. Chronos nodded.

"Yeah."

"Well, okay." The girls continued forward.

"I'll see you in class, Master Sora!" Kai called as he jogged off. He flashed a friendly grin at Chronos as he ran by, which Chronos returned shyly. The young time mage then turned his attention to the Kingdom Key Master. He could see what Kai was talking about; there were faint bags under Master Sora's bright blue eyes.

"Er, Master Sora?" he asked. Sora turned again at the sound of his name, spotted the frail blond, and smiled.

"Hello, Chronos. Can I help you?" he asked.

"Well… I… I wanted to talk to you about the exam…" he said. Sora looked thoughtful for a moment.

"What about it? I thought you did pretty well…" he said.

"That's just it. I feel like I did _too_ well. You… you're a Master, and I… I'm just…"

"Just starting out," the Master said in a warm tone, putting a hand on Chronos shoulder. "Which is why, to make it fair to you and your peers, I wear this during that exam." Sora reached into his pocket and pulled out an anklet. It was made of heavy black chain links and each link was set with a different colored gem. "This lowers my resistance to most status effects, like stop and slow," he explained. Chronos looked between that, and up at Sora.

"But… why?" he asked.

"Because we need a clear picture of every student's ability to place them in a team, and if I'm resisting their abilities, we won't get that," Sora said.

"Oh. That… makes sense," Chronos said with a smile. Sora grinned back at him, tucking the accessory back into his pocket.

"I thought it would. Now, get going. You don't want to be late for your first class, right?" he said. Chronos smiled a little wider.

"No. Thank you, Master," he said before rushing off. Sora smiled, watching after him, before yawning and heading to his own first class of the day.

…

Master Ventus stood at the front of the classroom as the first year students filed into the room. Chronos slipped in with the last of them and glanced around, only to find Amber and Hazel near the back. Mildly disappointed, as this was a class he wanted to be up front for, he walked over and joined them.

"Alright, guys, settle down," Ven said with a small smile. The class grew quiet, and looked at him expectantly. "Now, I know history isn't the most exciting, but it's important to learn, because it can, and almost has, repeated itself," Ven said. Hazel leaned over to Amber and Chronos.

"Is it just me, or does he look tired?" she muttered. Amber nodded.

"Master Sora had those same bags under his eyes," Chronos whispered back.

"Now, those of you who have spent time in Radiant Garden have no doubt heard this 'fairy tale,' but for those of you who haven't…" Ven trailed off like it should be obvious, before taking a deep breath.

"Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved the light. Then people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. And darkness was born in their hearts." Ven's voice was steady as he told the story. It was clear he had told it many times before and had it memorized. "The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts. It covered everything, and the world disappeared." His voice dropped, growing a little sadder as he said this. But then he took a deep breath. "But small fragments of light survived, in the hearts of children. With these fragments of light, children rebuild the lost world. It's the world we live in now. But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness. That's why the worlds are still scattered, divided from each other. But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open, and the true light will return. So, even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. Your hearts will shine with its power and push the darkness away."

Silence followed his words for a moment. Most of the students were staring at Ven. In fact, the only one who wasn't was Amber, who was staring at the desk in front of her, her red scarf covering her mouth and nose. Ven took a deep breath.

"While that story is called a 'fairy tale,' it is actually the story of the Keyblade War. The light, Lux as it was called back then, was fought over by five different Unions. As they had their unions fight over the Lux, darkness was born in their hearts, and it spread through their ranks like wild fire, until finally, the war broke out, and the world disappeared, swallowed by darkness." Ven moved over to the board and began to write on it. "The 'children' of the story, the ones who held those fragments of light, were called The Dandelions. And the true light, the door… is Kingdom Hearts."

By this point, Hazel had grown restless, her attention wondering to the window. Amber's face was completely buried in her scarf. The only one of Team Dragon Light who was completely interested was Chronos, who was already taking notes.

"This one, small story encompasses everything I will teach you in this class for the next four years. For this year, we will talk about the time before the war. The time of the first Five Unions." He motioned to the board where he had written the five Union names, with each Foreteller's name next to it.

"Each Union had an animal attached to it. The Unicorns had, obviously, a unicorn, lead by Master Ira.

"The Ursus Union was represented by the bear, lead by Master Aced.

"Anguis was represented by the snake, lead by Master Invi.

"Leopardos was represented by the snow leopard, lead by Master Gula.

"And finally, the Union of Vulpeus was represented by the fox and lead by Master Ava.

"Each of the Foretellers, along with a sixth man, were apprenticed to someone known only as the Master of Masters. It was because of him, and his Book of Prophecies, that everything began."

Master Ventus continued his lesson until it was almost time. By the end, Hazel was squirming in her seat, Amber was completely hidden in her scarf, and Chronos had taken about eight pages of notes.

"Alright, class, any questions?" Ven finally asked near the end of class. Chronos's hand shot into the air, and he asked multiple questions (some that even Ven himself claimed not to know the answer to), before they ran out of time.

"Don't forget the reading!" Ven called after the class as they rushed out. Once the room was empty, he sighed, turning back to the board.

"It never gets any easier…" he whispered to himself as he erased the five Union names.

…

 **A/N:**

Hazel – mine

Amber – WolfieRed23

Chronos – pureshadow013

This chapter was EXTREMELY hard to write. I hope I got your OCs correct, at least!


	5. Author Note

Okay guys, sorry for the delay in updates and lack of communication. Thing is, I'm dealing with carpel tunnel in my left hand, banging out an hour long television script for a potential agent, making an entirely new writer's website, editing all of my work, and, now, on top of that, I have to come up with something completely new, and write a script in less then a week. The first draft is due on Wednesday.

UGH! Why'd I want to become a writer again…?

This means all fanfiction is on hold until future notice. Sorry guys…


	6. URGENT PLEASE READ

Author's Note:

Hey guys. Sorry for the long inactivity. I've had a lot more going on than what I said in my last author's note.

I've finally had a chance to look back at this story and realized I was WAY too ambitious.

 **I AM NOT ABANDONING IT**

That said, I will be cutting down on the OCs I'll be using. With the exception of The Legends (who will still be used), I will be cutting it down to one team per year. That means three teams (9 OCs).

The first year already only had one team, so Hazel (mine), Amber (WolfieRed23), and Chronos (Pureshadow13) will still be used (If you two are okay with that. If not, PM me to let me know).

I will pick from a hat which OCs submitted to use out of the 18 others that has been submitted, seperated by year. Once I do that, I will PM the creators to see if they still want their OCs included.

Then I will rework and edit the chapters already posted, and post it under a new story.

Thank you for your patience. And I promise, I am not abandoning this story (WolfieRed23 won't let me, haha)


	7. Final update on this story

Hey guys! I've started posting the rewrite. Go check it out! It's still on this account, I just don't know if everyone here has followed my account or just this story.

Go! Go check it out!


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